Je m'en Fiche
by Vorima Calina
Summary: AU Hitsugaya Toushiro and Hinamori Momo are lifelong friends. Will destiny bring them together as more than that, or will the past and future work together to keep them apart? HitsuHina fic. Mild spoilers through Arrancar arc. CH 8 UP
1. Waiting to be Called

**A/N: This is the beginning of a short fic about HitsuHina...because frankly who doesn't love HitsuHina? Lol. Anywho. ReadxReview please! Oh yeah..and I don't own like..any of these characters.**

Juban tai taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro, nodded slightly; dismissing his 6th seat squad member as the man finished his report on the general status of tenth squad. After bowing politely, the man slid the door to the captain's office closed and hurried off down the hall to finish the rest of his daily duties and Hitsugaya returned to his previous task of completely some particularly tedious paper work.

Hitsugaya's advance guard of Karakura town had received a short reprieve earlier that week. Replacements from squad 7 were currently guarding Karakura as Hitsugaya and his special guard took a break. As far as Hitsugaya was concerned, this was a much needed return to Soul Society. He had many reports to file and he had begun to worry about his subordinates attachments to the real world. His guard was scheduled to return to the real world and continue their mission in less than a month, but in the mean time they had all been advised to train hard and prepare for the coming winter.

The late summer sun shone brightly through Hitsugaya's window, mirroring the seasonal changes of the real world. With the onset of autumn, Soul Society was really beginning to buzz with preparations. They knew that their only chance to stop Aizen would be to have fully prepared for the coming battle. These thoughts skimmed faintly through Hitsugaya's mind as he picked up a thick report and quickly scanned it for accuracy.

As his turquoise eyes slid over a sentence on the experimental implantation of Mod souls in plants for the third time, his mind began to drift from his pressing responsibilities and preparations; landing almost immediately on the small brunette who was currently fighting for her life and her sanity in the 4th squad relief station.

She had awakened several weeks ago and felt well enough to get up, felt well enough even to have a conversation with Hitsugaya after he had set up communications with Comander-General Yamamoto. Unfortunately she still did not seem to grasp the reality of their present situation, and as her pleas had turned to ramblings of traitorous thoughts, Yamamoto-sotaicho had been forced to overdose her on spirit force and return her, unconscious, to Unohana-taicho.

That was the last time Hitsugaya had seen Hinamori. She remained unconscious, even now, as her physically and mentally weakened body tried to recover. Hitsugaya had not even attempted to visit her in the week since he had been back in Soul Society. He was very busy and he knew that she was, at least for the time being, safe.

_"Some words…"_

_"Couldn't you say some words to her? She is waiting to be called by someone who needs her."_

Unohana-taicho's words bubbled to the surface of Hitsugaya's thoughts. Hinamori was waiting. She was waiting for someone to need her, to help her put her mind and heart back together.

More than anything, Hitsugaya wanted to be able to go to Hinamori and tell her how he felt, how he had always felt.

_"The way I am now…I have nothing I can say to her."_

His own words echoed loudly in his ears now, as the report he had been reading lay forgotten on his desk. He wanted to tell Hinamori that he loved her, but it felt like a betrayal when he harbored such a deep hatred of Aizen. Aizen had turned traitor on Soul Society and even attempted to murder Hinamori, his own lieutenant. Afterwards, Hitsugaya had retaliated and nearly been killed himself. Yet Hinamori was still fooled by the guise that had been Aizen's false identity and continued to adore him.

She had ranted about invented circumstances that might have driven Aizen to his evil actions on the last occasion she and Hitsugaya had spoken. She had also pleaded with Hitsugaya not to kill Aizen.

Hinamori's plea had felt like a stab through his heart as Hitsugaya knew that he must do exactly what his life-long friend was begging him not to do. Hitsugaya knew that he could not confess his feelings to Hinamori and, at the same time, vow to kill the man that she had hopelessly adored for so long. So, for the time being, Hitsugaya resolved to continue keeping watch over Hinamori from afar until Aizen was defeated. Hitsugaya could only hope that he would live through the coming battle; that he would be able to tell Hinamori everything.

* * *

Several hours later Hitsugaya had finished most of his paperwork and had decided to call it a day. The sun's rays were stretched across Soul Society, casting long shadows as they lay over the expanse of buildings. The young white-haired Captain could be found sitting on the roof of his private residence, watching the sun sink below the horizon, memories of simpler times washing over him.

Matsumoto Rangiku's swift steps fell nearly silently on the wooden walkway that wove together the buildings of the seireitei. Her breath was coming in little pants as she ran/flash stepped to the central office of 10th squad.

"Taicho! Taicho!" Matsumoto's clear, high-toned voice cut through the silence of her Captain's office. When there was no response, she murmured curses under her breath. She turned on the spot and disappeared, flash stepping out of the office. Once she was on the wooden walkway again, Matsumoto-fukataicho changed directions and hastened to her Captain's private residence. Hitsugaya was a very serious person and if he was not in his office then Matsumoto was sure he would be at home, he was never really one for going out at night; that was much more _her_ thing.

As she approached Hitsugaya's home, Matsumoto caught sight of spikey white hair on his roof. Flash stepping once more, Matsumoto stood in front of Hitsugaya, panting slightly, her expression distraught.

"Taicho! It's Hinamori-fukataicho!"

Hitsugaya's heart beat painfully as his lieutenant appeared in front of him, clearly upset.

"Unohana-taicho says something's going wrong. There's no explanation for it, but Hinamori-fukataicho is…is…"

Hitsugaya did not even hear the end of Matsumoto's sentence. Without a seconds hesitation he raced toward 4th squad's relief station.


	2. An Unconscious Decision

Yonban tai taicho, Unohana Retsu, stood over the bed that held the petite form of Hinamori Momo. Unohana's hands were spread gracefully and she held them about three inches above her patient. Kotetsu Isane-fukataicho was standing nearby holding Unohana-taicho's zanpaktou just in case worst came to worst. Unohana's reiatsu was spilling into Hinamori, searching for the problem.

A light sweat broke out on Unohana's brow. She did not understand it. What was wrong with Hinamori-san? Hinamori had been mostly unconscious since that day several months ago, but her vital signs had remained stable and constant since she had been rendered that way. She had even woken up briefly, although Yamamoto-sotaicho had expressed his concern that her consciousness and her mind had not been quite right yet, and it seemed to Unohana to be true. The young woman had been deeply betrayed and Unohana was not sure if Hinamori would ever fully recover.

Hinamori's mental state also had an effect on her physical healing process. Unohana suspected that until Hinamori could somehow mentally put herself together, she would not be able to be fully healed.

All of these thoughts flashed through Unohana's mind in a matter of seconds. The fact was, nothing was physically wrong with Hinamori, she had simply lost her will to live. Unohana was concentrating very hard on trying to anchor Hinamori to life, but knew she was fighting a losing battle.

Several of Unohana's assistants were suddenly knocked back several steps from where they were awaiting orders near the door. The cause of the disturbance became clear almost immediately. The juban tai taicho, Hitsugaya Toushiro, had just flash stepped rather recklessly into the room, followed shortly by his luitenant. His cheeks were tinged with just a hint of pink and his brow was deeply furrowed.

It was apparent to those present that Captain Hitsugaya was not his usual calm and controlled self. His spirit force, normally controlled to the point where it was barely noticeable in the surrounding area, was pressing down uncomfortably on the room. In his haste and emotional state, his iron-like control over his reiatsu was faltering.

Immediately, Hitsugaya was confronting Unohana.

"Unohana-taicho! What is going on here? I thought that you said she would be fine," Hitsugaya stated in a surprisingly calm tone, his voice steady and far from revealing his true feelings.

"Summimasen, Hitsugaya-taicho. There's no explanation, she's just…slipping away."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock and he turned his gaze onto his childhood friend, his fingers curling into fists at his side; a small gesture (along with his barely controlled reiatsu) that was the only sign of his distress.

Hinamori Momo was empty. She felt so empty and alone. Aizen's sword had pierced her heart, but his betrayal had shattered it. Momo was not sure of her surroundings anymore, she wondered if she had even been alive to begin with. She was floating in darkness and in silence, and all she could feel was the ache in her chest where her heart had been.

She had put so much trust and faith into Aizen-taicho; had grown close to him, her mentor, and had always wanted to make him proud. They had shared so much time together, getting to know one another and Hinamori had learned so much from him. But now he was gone, as if stolen away by some dark monster with the same face.

Hinamori felt worthless and she let her grip on life loosen…and then she let go. She felt herself floating away, and the pain was slowly leaving her. Suddenly Hinamori Momo felt comforting and engulfing warmth. Starting in her hand and flowing into her heart, the warmth was familiar and safe.

"Momo…..Momo…"

Hinamori's heart gave a painful jolt. Her eyes flew open and she gave a feeble cough. The warmth was still in her small hand and as she looked up into deep turquoise eyes, she realized that her face was wet.

She had not realized that she had been crying. She vaguely wondered why, but all thought left her as the white-haired young man gave a relieved sigh and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders.

"Momo," she thought she heard her name leave his lips on a relieved sigh.

Hinamori's eyes widened in surprise as her childhood friend wrapped his arms around her. She had not seen Toushiro in such an open display of emotion since before he had become Captain of tenth squad.

"Shiro-chan," Hinamori whispered. She was too weak to even lift her arms to return his embrace, even though she wanted more than anything to do just that. All of her thoughts of Aizen and his betrayal were washed away so easily by Toushiro's hand in hers.

"Bedwetter Momo," Hitsugaya murmured into her shoulder, giving her a squeeze.

Hinamori chuckled quietly and realized that Hitsugaya had always been a constant in her life; constant and steady. She knew that she needed his friendship now more than ever before.

Hitsugaya gently placed Hinamori's shoulders back on her cot, and Hinamori felt herself overcome with exhaustion. She had been lying in the fourth squad relief station for months, but she had been filled with inner turmoil…now, she needed to sleep.

Hitsugaya held Hinamori's hand as her eyes slid closed and after months, she finally fell into a restful sleep. Unohana watched with a knowing look as Hinamori stabilized and finally began to rest.

"Hitsugaya-taicho," Unohana spoke to the young Captain as he watched Hinamori intently. "It looks as though Hinamori-fukataicho has been called back. Feel free to stay as long as you like."

After using her spirit force to make sure that Hinamori was resting comfortably and would not wake again until morning, Unohana-taicho quietly left the room taking all but one assistant with her. She left Yamada-san in the room to keep an eye on Hinamori just in case, but she was calm and confident that Hinamori , with some help, could recover from her terrible ordeal.


	3. Unwelcome News

**A/N: First of all, thank you so much to all of you guys that are enjoying and **_**reviewing**_** the story ;-). Secondly, this was originally going to be a MUCH longer chapter, but I didn't have it in my heart to make you wait for the rest of it. Therefore I broke it up and its now at least two smaller chapters. Of course that pretty much blows the "this is a short hitsuhina fic" out of the water. Oh well! We can all use more HitsuHina. Well um…ENJOY! And review please, thanks. :-D**

Hinamori Momo slept dreamlessly for the first time since…he...had almost killed her. When she awoke, the sun was streaming through a single high window in the somewhat large room. Glancing around, Hinamori immediately noticed the tuft of white hair resting on her bed, just beside her right hand.

She smiled fondly at the young man. He was younger than she, but he had always been mature beyond his years. Often times she found herself being caught in an immature or stupid action by the severe gaze of the young captain.

Hinamori was a bit surprised that Toushiro was still there, he had been exceedingly busy with his duties as a captain and was often too busy to relax or do something fun with Matsumoto-fukataicho, Aizen-taicho and herself. She remembered one year when it had taken a mysterious note to pique his curiosity enough to make Hitsugaya take a break and watch some fireworks on his birthday. In any case, Hinamori was very glad that he was there. His presence had always been a comfort and she always felt better when he was there.

The young man began to stir and Hinamori felt a twinge in her heart as half-lidded teal eyes appeared out of the sheets and met her own dark ones. It lasted for less than a second, but it left Hinamori confused and unsettled in regards to the young man who had stayed by her side through the night.

Hitsugaya rubbed an eye and smiled sleepily at Hinamori. Then he caught himself and immediately returned to his normal stern expression. Hinamori smiled weakly at his momentary lapse in complete seriousness. She suddenly wondered for the second time why on earth Hitsugaya, the devoted captain, was here with her when he surely had far more important duties to see to.

"Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori whispered, trying to steady her wavering voice.

A familiar voice cut off Hinamori's unvoiced question. With a rushed apology a tall red-head had flash stepped into the room.

"Taicho! An important report has just arrived for you. It's urgent."

Hitsugaya stood quickly and within a few moments had straightened his appearance. Now he was back in his role of captain.

"Gomen nasai, Hinamori. I have to take care of this," and with that, the young captain flash stepped away, lieutenant in tow, leaving the fragile Hinamori feeling more alone than ever.

Hitsugaya did not want to leave her; never wanted to leave her again, but he had no choice. He and Matsumoto arrived at the central office of juban tai moments later. The report was given in person by the third seat of nana ban tai.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, I am here to report on behalf of Komamura-taicho."

"Please proceed," was Hitsugaya's automatic and customary response as he took a seat at his desk.

"Arigatou, Hitsugaya-taicho. Nana ban tai special forces team, stationed in the real world, was attacked roughly two hours ago. Thanks to Komamura-taicho's efforts, as well as the rest of the special forces team from seventh squad, five Arrancar were defeated. Aizen's forces were pushed back, but there were losses on both sides. Fifth seat, Nakamura Shinji and eighth seat, Osaki Ai, were killed in the battle. That is all."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened as the meaning of the report took hold. Aizen was testing their strength and that meant he would attack in full force very soon.

"Please convey my condolences to your squad."

"Hai!"

"You are excused," Hitsugaya concluded in his best "captain" voice.

With that, the officer bowed himself out of Hitsugaya's office, sliding the thin panel door shut with a hollow snap.

"Taicho," Matsumoto breathed, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Yes," Hitsugaya replied, knowing exactly what his lieutenant was thinking. "I'm going to request a meeting with Yamamoto-sotaicho. They need as many shinigami in the real world as they can get."

Hitsugaya made his way across the office toward the door, intending to request an audience with Yamamoto in person.

"Hai, taicho," Matsumoto replied watching the back of her captains head as he made to leave. "But…what about Hinamori-chan?"

Hitsugaya barely even paused as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway beyond, but if his lieutenant could have seen the shadow of sadness that flitted over his features, she would have known exactly how her captain felt about leaving Hinamori alone in Soul Society.

By lunch time Hinamori was able to sit up in her bed and eat the food that had been brought for her. As she was finishing, Kotetsu-fukataicho came in to check on her.

"Good afternoon, Hinamori-san," Isane said, smiling brightly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Hai," Hinamori replied quietly, nodding her head.

"Good. You had some visitors come by earlier, but Unohana-taicho said it would be best not to wake you so Abarai-fukataicho and Izuru-fukataicho asked me to give you their regards. Also, Unohana-taicho left specific instructions that you should rest again after lunch and – "

"Summimasen, Isane-san, but can't I just go home?"

The thought of going back to her living quarters was mixed with comfort and profound loneliness, but anything was better than staying here alone where she was constantly reminded of everything she had been through in the past couple of months. It was as though a part of her had actually died in this sparsely furnished room.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori-chan, I can't let you go home until Unohana-taicho can check up on you and make sure you're okay to leave, and she won't be back for awhile. There was an emergency captains meeting called almost two hours ago."

Hinamori's eyes snapped up to meet Isane's, an intense look of worry filling her.

"Why?! What's going on?" Hinamori asked, looking desperately to Isane for answers.

"Calm down, Hinamori-chan. I'm not sure. It seems that Hitsugaya-taicho is petitioning to be sent back to the real world before his scheduled return date." Isane watched Hinamori cautiously as the other took in the information.

"There was an attack," Hinamori whispered. It was a statement.

Hinamori knew that Hitsugaya would not be able to stand to the side if he knew others were fighting and possibly dying. It was the only reason he would go against his orders.

Isane nodded, seeing and recognizing the hurt and fear in Hinamori's face.

"Hinamori-kun, please relax, you're supposed to rest. I'll send Unohana-taicho in to check on you as soon as she gets back, alright?"

Hinamori was feeling exceedingly stressed and worried. She could feel that something big was going to happen. Isane placed a hand gently over Hinamori's forehead and the petite brunette's eyes fluttered closed. Hinamori sank into a calm and restful sleep. Gently tucking Hinamori into bed, Isane sighed. She hoped the young woman would be able to get back to her life despite the horrible betrayal she had suffered.


	4. Comfort

**A/N: Okay, so…here's chapter 4, just like I said, I pretty much had it written earlier this week, but college is a jerk so it took me awhile to get it up. Also, there is some IsaneXShuhei in this chapter. I don't particularly ship them, but I put this in here for my sister who LOVES them. So yeah, enjoy.**

Hushed voices washed over Hinamori, slowly bringing her awake.

"…was killed." Hinamori's eyes snapped open at Unohana's words.

"Nani?!" Isane's voice was uneven and barely remained hushed.

The moon was casting a silver glow into the room where Hinamori lay deathly still, her heart beating frantically. A yellow-orange light seeped through the seams of the door, indicating the room from which the voices came.

Isane's voice lowered considerably after her near outburst and Hinamori had to quiet her own breath and strain her ears to hear the next words.

"And what about Hitsugaya-taicho? Did he get permission to return in full force ahead of schedule?"

"Iie," Unohana replied, "Yamamoto-sotaicho refused to push up the time-table, he insists on gathering more information and waiting to counter-strike until the most opportune time."

"And Hitsugaya-taicho accepted that?" Isane asked incredulously.

"No, not at first, but with a little persuasion from myself and Ukitake-taicho, Hitsugaya-taicho agreed to remain here in Soul Society until his previously agreed upon return date. In the mean time, Ukitake-taicho has requested Hitsugaya-taicho's help with research on battle tactics and information that could help against the enemy. Hitsugaya-taicho has agreed."

Hinamori breathed a small sigh of relief. She did not want Histugaya to leave. She was not entirely sure why the thought of him leaving made her so anxious, but she knew she did not want him to get hurt. Unfortunately there was also a small part of her, mostly out of habit, that did not want Aizen to get hurt either. That made her sick with herself, but she could not make her concern go away.

"She asked to go home this afternoon," Isane's voice floated into the room once more, bringing Hinamori out of her unpleasant musings.

"Alright, I shall asses her spiritual state to see if she is strong enough," Unohana replied.

"Hai. Taicho, is it alright if I head out for the night? Shuhei is supposed to meet me for dinner," Isane's voice carried an easily recognizable smile through her words.

"That's fine. Have fun," Unohana breathed over her shoulder as her excited lieutenant gathered her things and left while humming quietly under her breath.

Hinamori closed her eyes as Unohana entered and light from the outside corridor flooded the room.

"Konbonwa, Hinamori-fukataicho. You look like you're feeling a bit better."

"Hai," Hinamori replied, sitting up slowly and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

Unohana smiled warmly as she let her reiatsu slowly flow into the small brunette, checking to make sure her wounds were healed. Hinamori was a fast healer, however Unohana was not entirely confident about Hinamori's mental state.

"You seem to be doing much better, Hinamori-san. I will let you return to your home tomorrow morning. I want to keep you here tonight just to be sure. Also, I will be sending someone from my squad to check on you from time to time for two weeks. And before you raise any objections…"

Hinamori had been on the verge of adamantly arguing against such a measure, but at Unohana-taicho's words, her voice caught in her throat and she closed her mouth letting her complaint die.

"They'll just be short visits. Very good, Hinamori-fukataicho, I'll have Hitsugaya-taicho escort you home in the morning."

"Hai," Hinamori replied obediently.

And with that Hinamori was resettled into bed and Unohana made sure that she was resting comfortably.

"Goodnight," Unohana wished Hinamori as she left the room to tend to other patients and finish the remaining paperwork that Isane had not been able to finish because she needed her captain's signature.

The next morning dawned bright and clear with a brisk autumn snap in the air. The leaves of trees were beginning to change from their dark green to deep reds and oranges. Crisp cool air rustled the branches of trees as they carried the promise of colder weather to the residents of Soul Society. Hinamori was sitting on the walkway facing an interior garden at the 4th squad's station. The morning was beautiful, although too cold for her liking. Hinamori much preferred the warmth and revived sweetness of spring, but she knew that Toushiro lived for mornings like this.

Almost as soon as she had completed her thought, Momo felt Toushiro's muffled reiatsu approach from behind.

"Are you ready to go?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice low and even, not conveying the joy he felt at seeing her out of bed and with a bit of color back in her cheeks.

"Hai, Shiro-chan," Hinamori answered, getting to her feet and turning to face him. To her surprise he had grown several inches in the past couple of months and was now even with her, and he also failed to correct her use of his nickname. His teal eyes locked on her chocolate eyes and for a brief moment Momo found it difficult to breathe. Hitsugaya felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at Momo, she was so fragile and broken and yet he could still see the young woman that he cared so much for buried deep in those eyes. Hinamori wondered why on earth her chest got tight and her heart beat faster when she looked at Hitsugaya. It did not make any sense. Hinamori brushed it aside, not wanting to fathom the mysterious of her heart at the moment, perhaps she was simply glad to see him. 'Yes,' she told herself, 'I'm simply glad to be getting back to my life.'

"I…are you feeling alright?" Hitsugaya asked as they made their way through Seireitei to Hinamori's residence. He could have smacked himself for asking such a stupid question. Although, when he asked, it was in the hopes that she was feeling at least a little better than she had.

Hinamori sighed and nodded, but the truth was, she was not alright. She was thinking about the inevitable war, the war that had already begun to take lives and how it could very well take the life of her best friend.

They had reached Hinamori's small but cozy home and they walked inside. Everything was just as she had left it. There was even a kettle of water on the stove where it had been abandoned _that_ day after making tea.

Hinamori continued to stand there for several long minutes just looking around her quiet home until the sound of Hitsugaya nervously clearing his throat made her remember where she was. Hinamori turned around to face her best friend, and was sure that she had never seen him looking so nervous or out of place.

"Well, if you're okay, I guess I'll get back to work."

Hitsugaya then did something rather unexpected. Reaching down, he took hold of her small hand and Hinamori's eyes widened a bit at the feel of his cool skin on hers. He had never been an overtly affectionate person and his tender moments were few and far between and rarely seen by anyone.

"I'm glad you're back home, Hinamori. I missed you," Hitsugaya murmured, looking into Hinamori's quiet and subdued eyes. Then after a brief squeeze, he let go of her hand and headed towards the door.

"Why?!" Hinamori breathed, anger seeping into her delicate voice and her brows snapping together.

"Nani?" Hitsugaya asked, his eyes showing his confusion as he turned back around to face her.

"Why?! Why did you have to follow me to the academy?! Why did you have to be so good?!" Hinamori nearly screamed. She closed the distance between herself and the white-haired shinigami in a flash. A loud _crack_ echoed through the room and Hitsugaya let the force of the blow turn his face to the side. He was surprised and shocked by her sudden attack.

"What is the matter with you, Momo?!" Histugaya asked, his cheek tingling unpleasantly and his temper rising. He did not understand why she was suddenly so angry with him, or what being a shinigami had to do with anything.

Hinamori did not seem to realize he had spoken and merely raised her hand again. This time Hitsugaya caught her wrist before her hand made contact. But now Hinamori was trying to wrench free of his iron-like grip, still yelling at him.

"Why did you have to become a captain?!?!," tears of anger were now spilling from the corners of Hinamori's eyes and streaming down her flushed face as she continued to struggled against Hitsugaya's hold on her wrist.

"WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST FORGOTTEN ABOUT ME?!?!"

Hitsugaya's temper flared as Hinamori bellowed at him and he raised his own voice in response.

"What the hell are you talking about, Hinamori?!" He demanded, giving her arm a little shake to emphasize his aggravation. "I followed you to protect you!!" Hitsugaya shouted, his face going red not out of anger but out of embarrassment. He had never so much as hinted to anyone that there had been another reason why he had attended the shinigami academy and devoted himself to becoming as strong as he possibly could. He had wanted to remain close to Hinamori and to protect her because he knew she had a habit of getting into trouble.

"I don't need your protection! I never needed your protection!" Hinamori screamed, knowing her words were paper thin lies, and as they left her lips she began to sob harder.

"Like hell, you don't!!" Hitsugaya shouted back, her words stinging more than he cared to admit.

"Why?! Why did you…? When he… And now… Why?" Hinamori's voice had faded to a thin whisper.

"Because!!! Because…I care about you, Momo," Hitsugaya said, color rising in his cheeks. Hinamori's eyes widened a little in shock. Obviously she had known that he cared about her, but the way that he said it now implied so much more.

"But…you might die…because of me…" Hinamori cried, guilt and fear overtaking her and making her sob uncontrollably.

Hitsugaya caught and held Hinamori against his chest as she collapsed under the weight of her sobs. He held her tightly as she rid herself of the poisonous tears that she had been holding in since she had awoken from her nightmares of Aizen, only to be reminded that the nightmares were reality. She cried for a long time, sometimes pounding her fists feebly against Hitsugaya's chest and other times simply wrapping her arms around him and holding him as if he were her anchor to sanity; which, in many ways, he was.

As her crying slowed, Hitsugaya reached up and, in another surprising display of tenderness, pushed back tear soaked locks of her hair. Hinamori looked up at Hitsugaya, a little shocked by his actions. Hitsugaya blushed as she looked at him with over-bright eyes, but he did not stop the comforting trail of his cool fingers against her forehead and cheeks.

Hitsugaya walked Hinamori over to the small couch occupying her living room. Her tears had stopped for the most part and as they sat down, she buried her tear stained face in the crook of Hitsugaya's neck and shifted her body as close to his as she could get it; his presence an indescribable comfort.

Hitsugaya sat with his arm around Hinamori's shoulders until he felt her breath against his neck grow deep and steady. He realized how lost and hurt she must be feeling and he wanted more than anything to let her know that she was not alone. As long as he drew breath she would _never_ be alone. Hitsugaya shifted gently, letting Momo's sleeping form lie down in the space he had occupied on the couch. After covering her up with a quilt that had been over the back of the couch, Hitsugaya leaned down and brushed Hinamori's bangs out of her face, placing a light kiss on her forehead (something he _never_ would have done if someone were watching).

Leaving the small house, Hitsugaya summoned a hell butterfly.

"I'm on my way to my office. Make sure there's someone there when she wakes up."

"Hai, Taicho," the bubbly voice of his vice-captain came back to him through his handset a few minutes later.

Hitsugaya flash stepped the rest of the way to the tenth squad offices, eager to read the reports that Ukitake had sent over that morning. Hopefully they would hold an answer to defeating the Arrancar; to end this whole disgusting business once and for all.

**A/N: Oh yeah, I promise we're getting closer to the HitsuHina action, and it will be rated M. I just want it to fit well into the story. So hang in there, its on its way! Oh yeah….and please review!!**


	5. The Need to Protect

**A/N: Okay, so apparently it takes me longer and more words to say what I want to say than I think it will. So…long chapter. I feel bad because I've had this mostly written for a really long time, but I've just recently had the time to sit down and make it how I want it. Anyways, bit of a cliff hanger, but I tend to be pretty good about updating if I know that I've left everyone on a cliff hanger so yeah. crosses fingers Quick update hopefully. Um..oh yeah, REVIEW PLEASE! And ENJOY!!**

That same bright, crisp, autumn morning found Kotetsu Isane curled comfortably against Hisagi Shuhei's bare chest. A light breeze brushed through the open window, its cool tendrils playing over Isane's exposed back and shoulders. Shivering slightly, she adjusted the covers around her and snuggled closer to him.

"Mmmm," he mumbled, wrapping an arm around her.

"Good morning," she whispered, pressing her lips briefly against his neck.

"Mhm," he agreed, his eyes still closed.

They lay there for several minutes, soaking in each other's warmth. They had been dating for several months now and often spent their mornings like this. Lying there with him was a constant source of comfort for her and served to wash away her stress and worries; if only for a few hours.

"I have to go check on Hinamori-san soon," Isane breathed against his neck, causing goose bumps to erupt on his arms and neck.

"Don't forget about the Vice-Captain's meeting at eleven."

"I won't," Isane assured him as she rolled over and made to get out of bed.

"Wait," he breathed, reaching up. He caught Isane's arm and pulled her down on top of him; capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

"Ngh, not…fair," she mumbled against his lips. "I have…to be…there…in…half an hour…"

"That's plenty of time," Shuhei growled mischeviously as his lips drifted down her jaw-line.

Isane's giggle turned into a sharp gasp as his teeth lightly grazed the crook of her neck.

"Well…okay…if you…insist," Isane replied breathlessly.

Hinamori awoke more than an hour later to the sound of someone making tea. She gazed around her living room confused. Hitsugaya's scent, a lightly musky mix of soap and evergreen trees, lingered ever so slightly on her clothes. The smell was more comforting that she would have thought possible.

"Hitsugaya-kun?" Hinamori called into the kitchen. Her voice was weak, quiet and cracked from lack of use.

"Hinamori-san, you're awake," Isane replied. She smiled at the petite brunette as she brought tea into the room and offered a cup to Hinamori.

Hinamori's heart fell a little as she realized that Hitsugaya had obviously had work to do and had left. She was honestly surprised at just how much she missed his calm and steady presence. Had she always felt this sad when he left or was not around? To a small extent, yes. She remembered when she had first gone away to the Shinigami Academy. She had come home almost every weekend.

_"Is there that little to do at the Shinigami school?"_ Hitsugaya had asked her teasingly.

The truth was she had missed him; his steady friendship, sitting outside for hours watching the sky and eating watermelons as the light faded and fireflies emerged from hiding to grace them with their own private light show. She even missed his playful taunts. He was the reason she had come home so much; he was her home.

The realization nearly knocked the breath out of Hinamori and she began to choke on the tea she had been quietly sipping.

"What's wrong, Hinamori?" Isane asked, reaching over to pat the choking girl on the back.

"Its _coughcough_ nothing. _Cough_ I'm fine," Hinamori choked before she burst into another fit of coughing. "It just went down the wrong way, that's all," she continued once she had regained her composure.

"Okay," Isane replied, lightly rubbing Hinamori's back for several moments after her choking had subsided. Concern emanated from the tall fukataicho. She was worried, Hinamori could tell, but the two simply sat in silence for awhile, the moral support meaning a lot to the petite brunette.

"Arigatou, Isane-san," Hinamori whispered.

"Iie," Isane replied brightly as she stood and busied herself with cleaning up the tea cups.

"Well, I have to be going soon. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?"

Hinamori shook her head. Isane smiled and took a step before embracing the much shorter girl in a warm hug.

"It'll be okay Hinamori-chan. There are a lot of people here who really care about you."

Once Isane had left the small apartment of the fifth-squad's lieutenant, Hinamori was left to her thoughts for the fist time since she had felt the cold sting of Aizen's zanpakto laced with this cold hard betrayal. And yet, Hinamori marveled, her thoughts were now so easily shifting away from betrayal and unto those who cared for her; the people who _really_ cared for her.

Hinamori remembered a spring day many years ago, while she was still attending the shinigami academy, on which she, Kira, and Renji had wandered off into the woods near the academy to do some training. The three of them had worked very hard that day, just as they did almost every day, and had been exhausted by the time the sun began to set.

The cool wind had brushed gently through the leaves as the three friends lay silently in the grass, looking up into the cotton candy clouds. They were all three too tired to move. They lay there all night. At first they talked; about anything and everything, then they were silent, and finally they had fallen asleep.

The memory brought a calm smile to Hinamori's face. These people were her true friends, and, she suddenly realized, Kira was hurting too. He had been tricked and betrayed, just as she had. They had even been pitted against one another. Her cheeks flushed in shame.

Hinamori put a shaking hand to her forehead and took several deep breaths. Aizen's, her friend and mentor's, betrayal was not going to be easily forgotten, however, she looked up and narrowed her eyes, she would NOT lose the friends that she still had because of it. The image of a young man with white hair and teal-blue eyes flashed through her mind. Hinamori could not help but wonder what he was doing right now. He was perhaps top on that list of friends that she was determined not to let slip away.

After awhile, Hinamori made herself a little lunch and sat down at her table. She ate little for she had no appetite, and she did it more out of habit and to keep herself busy than out of actual hunger. She knew that she needed to eat. Her robes hung loosely about her tiny frame. She had lost a considerable amount of weight, but she just was not hungry.

Hinamori glanced up in the middle of a bite of rice, the chopsticks halfway between her bowl and her mouth, as something colorful caught her eye. She recognized the object almost immediately as an origami crane that Aizen had given to her as a small trinket on her birthday. Delicate pink ran across the surface of the small paper animal.

She simply stared at the tiny thing, her heart aching. She missed her captain; missed her captain who had been sweet, charming, and kind, but deep down she knew he was gone, knew that he was evil, and knew that, given the chance, he would kill them all.

Angry tears sprang to Hinamori's eyes and reaching over, she crushed the frail bird, just as she had been crushed. She watched as the small crumpled up piece of paper slowly drifted to the ground, and she wondered if she would ever be able to un-crumple her heart.

Hitsugaya sighed heavily and rubbed his temples as he placed yet another book back on the shelf. He wondered vaguely how much longer he could stand researching in this dusty library. Ukitake Juushiro sat cross-legged two aisles over, pouring intently over some book or another. Hitsugaya marveled at the older man's patience and dedication, as he had been researching in the library basically non-stop since Aizen had pulled his vanishing act.

Suddenly the air seemed to change, and the hairs on the back of Hitsugaya's neck stood on end. The massive reiatsu could only be one thing.

"Arrancar?! Here?!"

And without a second thought, Hitsugaya flash stepped down the aisle and within minutes was outside of the spirit library and heading towards the source of the commotion.

Hinamori was in the process of cleaning up the remnants of the destroyed paper bird when she felt a powerful shift in the atmosphere. Feeling the strange and powerful reiatsu nearly made her pass out. However, her instinct as lieutenant of the fifth squad made Hinamori immediately move to the place where Tobiume was resting.

Still dressed in a plain white yukata, the petit girl snatched up her zanpakto and stumbled out of her living quarters, her bare feet thumping lightly against the wooden pathway. Her mind was consumed with the thoughts of the shinigami in her squad. They had counted on her, depended on her, and she had let them down. She would rather die than disappoint them again. They needed their lieutenant, and she had ever intention of being there for them even if it meant assuming the responsibilities of her captain.

The sight that met her as she flash-stepped to the source of the reiatsu left Hinamori momentarily breathless. Two lower level arrancar and three menos grande had completely entered Soul Society's dimension and were setting upon some advance protection squads. She recognized a few young men from her own. They were doing their best to hold back one of the arrancar.

The arrancar laughed and eyed the three young shinigami with an evil glint in its one exposed eye. His mask covered half of this face and had several spindle thin bone-like spikes adorning his forehead. He also had large skeletal, bat-like wings protruding from somewhere below his shoulders.

Hinamori stifled a gasp. She had heard a few stories of the arrancar, but seeing one in person was something else entirely. During the split second that it took her to notice this, the arrancar pulled back his fist and a cero began to form.

"Fall back!!!" Hinamori screamed to her subordinates without even thinking.

"Hinamori-fukataicho?!?!" a young man asked as he fell back so that he was standing even with Hinamori.

She did not have time to answer him as battles were breaking out all around them. Several squads appeared to fight off the invaders. Without much thought, because she had no time to think, Hinamori turned to the shinigami in her squad and began giving orders. She could feel her heart pounding wildly, and her blood was rushing in her ears as adrenaline coursed through her. Within moments a half a dozen shinigami from the fifth squad had organized and surrounded the arrancar. Under Hinamori's command, few words were wasted and they immediately launched into an attack.

Sata-san and Noriku-san moved in in a pincher formation while Hinamori moved her hands in a flash and recited the spell to create a massive shot of lightning. Taking a deep breath, Hinamori was about to release the lightning bolt when the arrancar spoke and his words made her freeze.

"What are you doing little one? You're obviously not strong enough to face me. Where's your captain?" The arrancar asked, his face twisting into an evil grin. "Was Aizen-sama your captain?" he taunted further.

His words shocked her and tore at her resolution. Her mind went blank and all she could think of was her first battle with a hollow, when Aizen had saved her, Renji, and Kira. Hinamori screamed as angry tears sprang into her dark brown eyes. She was upset and angry, and all she wanted to do was tear this creature apart. Leaving Tobiume at her side, instead she sent a red flame cannon shot at the arrancar.

The arrancar had succeeded in making his opponent emotional, and therefore severely weakened her. Although, judging by the looks of her, her clothes were hanging loosely on her skinny frame, she was already severely weakened. He smirked and easily dodged the shot. Instantaneously, he changed direction and performed an echoing movement toward Hinamori.

Panic rose in Hinamori's chest as her spell, fired recklessly in anger, was avoided and she realized that the arrancar was coming at her, and _fast_. She reached down and grabbed Tobiume's hilt, but she knew that the arrancar was moving too quickly. As he drew very near, Hinamori lost her focus. She flinched, closing her eyes for a split second, bracing for the blow. The pain that she expected never came. Hinamori opened her eyes as she heard the sound of bone colliding with steel.

The white-haired young man grunted under the force of the arrancar's attack, but managed to stop it in its tracks; his feet skidding on air.

"Hitsu…gaya…kun," Hinamori breathed.

After glancing briefly over his shoulder to bark out orders to the members of his squad, who were appearing all around them for back-up, as well as the members of fifth squad, who were completely caught off guard and seemed to just be standing around; Hitsugaya pushed forward roughly with his sword arm, breaking away from his opponent. He made a brief pained expression. The arrancar's sword had bitten deeply into Hitsugaya's shoulder. Warm blood ran down his right arm, covering Hyourinmaru's hilt, enraging the contained ice dragon.

"Ah…this is more like it. Now _you_ have a decent reiatsu," the arrancar cooed, eyeing his new opponent and raising his sword to lick the bloody blade.

Hinamori winced in disgust as the arrancar licked his lips in a satisfied gesture. Hitsugaya, however, was not phased and a split second later her was counter-attacking. The young white-haired captain was on the arrancar in an instant and suddenly both opponents were flashing through the air at tremendous speeds.

Hinamori, straining her eyes, could only just keep up with their movements. She could not look away. Although the arrancar was lower-level, it still seemed to be giving the young captain a fair share of trouble. As Hitsugaya-taicho flashed through the sky, engaged in combat with the bat-like arrancar, several other squads were fighting off the remaining invaders. The scene resembled an all out war.

South of Hitsugaya, Hinamori, and members of the fifth and tenth squads, Lieutenant Hisagi Shuhei was battling on of the menos grande alone. The rest of his squad were teamed up on one of the other menos, and despite a few minor injuries managed to take it down fairly quickly. Hisagi flash stepped rapidly, attacking the slow invader multiple times.

Ukitake was making fairly quick work of the other arrancar nearby as Isane made her way cautiously through the battle field, leading a small relief unit. Several of the shinigami from third squad had been the first on the scene and were therefore injured.

Suddenly, as they began to approach the wounded members of third squad, the hair on the back of Isane's neck stood up. The sky above her and her unit rent in half. Another pseudo-arrancar pushed through into their dimension, directly above them. Isane saw the arrancar dart towards them and just had time to push little Hanatarou out of the way before the arrancar slammed into her, knocking her to the side.

She let out a yell of pain as she was flung into the wall of a nearby building. She felt her head hit the wall with painful force and there was a sickening thud.

"Kotetsu-fukataicho!!!"

"Fukataicho!!!"

Several of the members of her relief unit called in horror, but they were forced to scatter as the pseudo-arrancar, which appeared to be quite slow mentally because it was looking around dumbfounded, started attacking in earnest.

Shuhei had just killed the menos that he had been fighting when he heard the shocked screams of Isane's unit and felt his chest tighten with fear.

"Isane?!" For a moment he could not find her as he looked around through the fighting trying to locate her.

Hitsugaya was now directly above where the last pseudo-arrancar had appeared. The arrancar that he was battling was laughing as it held its sword out, releasing it. The mask spread to cover the arrancars face and within seconds he resembled a giant, boney, scaly bat. Hitsugaya continued to calmly stare down his opponent. Then the arrancar dove rapidly at Hitsugaya, but the captain easily side-stepped taking several spines of the arrancar's wing off with a swift swipe.

The arrancar howled in pain and veered to the left, but what looked like a clumsy stumble turned into a savage attack. It roared in rage and flung itself at the young man with surprising speed.

Hitsugaya flash stepped away, but the arrancar anticipated this and less than two flash steps later the arrancar had landed a deep gash across Hitsugaya's chest with his long talons.

Toushiro's eyes widened in shock and pain as he moved out of range, barely stifling a pained yell. In that instant, the arrancar took advantage of Hitsugaya's momentary surprise and launched another attack. With one echoing movement, the arrancar had hold of the young captain's sword arm, and was mere inches from his face.

"And here I thought you would be a bit of a challenge. But…I guess not," the arrancar said smiling evilly and twisting Hitsugaya's arm painfully.

The captain twisted roughly, trying to break the arrancar's hold on his arm, but the arrancar was too strong. Then, grinning maliciously, the arrancar pulled on Hitsugaya's arm until there was a loud POP. A loud scream tore at the young man's throat as his shoulder was pulled out of its socket.

Suddenly a blast of white-hot lightning burned a hole straight through the arrancar's chest. He howled in pain and rage and flung the white-haired captain away from him as he turned to find the source of the attack.

Fighting to stay conscious through the searing pain in his chest and shoulder, Hitsugaya managed to land in a crouch as he skidded along the pavement. His eyes darted upward to the source of the lightning where Hinamori was now facing the arrancar.

Hitsugaya cursed; he had let his guard down, lost focus and now Hinamori, through her efforts to help him, was in serious danger. He got to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of pain and nausea washed over him. His sword arm hung limply at his side. Switching Hyourinmaru over to his left hand, Hitsugaya flash stepped so that he was directly behind the arrancar.

"Oi! I'm your opponent, not her!!," he growled as the arrancar was diving at Hinamori as she was barely parrying its blows. She was panting from her efforts by the time the arrancar turned around to face the injured captain once more and she was beginning to realize just how weak she had become.

"I thought I'd taken care of you, boy," the arrancar taunted.

"Not a chance!! I'm just beginning to fight!" Hitsugaya called as he raised Hyourinmaru in his left hand. He could feel his zanpakto's anxiousness to be released.

"Soten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!!!!" Hitsugaya yelled, freeing the ice-dragon and sending it lightning quick towards the arrancar.

"Shiro-chan!!!" Hinamori yelled, watching as Hitsugaya and the arrancar began fighting again. She could not tear her eyes away from Toushiro's right arm, hanging limply by his side. She _had_ to help him.


	6. And We All Fall Down

The giant ice-dragon flew through the air at the arrancar. Hyourinmaru's fury was palpable as his great ice fangs buried themselves in the arrancar's shoulder; immediately freezing and therefore paralyzing his left arm. The arrancar, sensing the power in the attacks, retreated momentarily trying to put distance between himself and the howling ice-dragon. With a skilled swerve and roll, the arrancar was free of Hyourinmaru's jaws.

Hinamori gasped in awe and shivered slightly in her thin yukata as snow and ice surrounded them; and Hyourinmaru attacked. Hitsugaya's and Hyourinamru's fury and power even affected the weather. She loosened her grip on Tobiume and began muttering the spell for lightning under her breath.

The arrancar heard a small voice from behind him and realized that it was the wretched shinigami who had put a hole through his back. Hyourinmaru let out an angry scream like two glaciers colliding and scraping against each other. In spite of himself, the arrancar panicked slightly at the awful noise. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that the small female shinigami was less than 20 feet away.

Hinamori gasped as the arrancar turned to look at her. He grinned wickedly and then used _sonido_, moving rapidly towards her. She tightened her grip on Tobiume's hilt, but barely had a chance to blink before the arrancar had reappeared. Just as she was preparing to be attacked, Hinamori's vision was obscured by tufts of spiky white hair.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hitsugaya growled, his voice deep and rough; and his eyes took on a slightly reddish glow very similar to Hyourinmaru's.

Hinamori had never seen Toushiro so angry or looking so murderous. Before the arrancar could really process what had happened, Hitsugaya buried Hyourinmaru's blade up to the hilt in the bat-like arrancar's chest. A look of surprise flashed over the arrancar's features as the life quickly left its eyes.

Hitsugaya, with an angry grimace still traced on his rather pretty face, gripped Hyourinmaru tightly in his left hand as his right arm hung limply at his side. With a grunt and no small amount of effort, Hyourinmaru was free of the arrancar and Hitsugaya quickly calmed the ice-dragon back into its sealed state as the dead arrancar dropped from their battle ground in the sky. Suddenly the pain of all of his injuries hit the young captain full force, and he failed to suppress a small whimper.

His pained whimper broke the trance that Hinamori seemed to have succumbed to as the arrancar had died. Her expression changed from apprehension, to fear, and finally to worry.

"Toushiro," she breathed, closing the distance between them. As she did so, she saw just how badly he had been injured. In addition to numerous cuts and bruises, the white-haired young man was bleeding profusely from the long gash that ran from his left shoulder to his right hip and was at least two inches deep. He was also suffering from the severe pain in his right shoulder where it had been dislocated. Hitsugaya took a deep gurgling breath.

"Momo," he gasped.

"Hai, Hitsugaya-kun?" Hinamori was not sure what to do. She knew that he needed help, but she could not tear her eyes from his face. He was very pale and his eyes were searching her face, unable to fully focus.

"Are you alright?" The captain asked, taking Hinamori's hand in his, and standing less than a foot away.

"I'm fine," she insisted, even though she was absolutely exhausted.

"Good," Hitsugaya breathed. His eyes slipped entirely out of focus, and he lost consciousness.

Hinamori caught the young man as he slumped forward. Panting with the effort, she lowered them both to the walkway about twenty feet below them. She nearly collapsed under the stress on her body, but she managed to place Hitsugaya gently on the ground.

Panic was rising rapidly in Hinamori's chest as she watched Hitsugaya's face lose, if possible, even more color; and the ground become soaked in his blood.

"Hitsugaya-kun?!" she breathed urgently. She gathered her strength and summoned a hell butterfly to send to Unohana, but the sounds that filled the air of the Seireitei told her that help might not be able to come for awhile.

"Hitsugaya-kun!" she said again, trying to call him back into consciousness.

It was not working, he was not waking up.

"Toushiro!!" Momo cried as she placed her hands firmly on Hitsugaya's chest, trying to stop the bleeding. Her vision swam, it was hard to breath, and she was surprised to feel that her cheeks were wet.

"Shiro-chan" she whispered miserably.

The events of the last hour caught up to the young woman and she felt light-headed and weak. As the sounds of battle continued to rage around her, Momo slipped from consciousness and slumped forward, to lay, quietly breathing, on Toushiro's chest.

Elsewhere, Isane heard Shuhei's voice from a distance, as though she were standing in a dense fog. Her head ached and swam as she got unsteadily to her feet.

"Isane!!" Shuhei yelled again as he finally caught sight of his lover, shaking her head a bit to clear it, and then drawing her zanpakutou.

Isane barely flinched as she heard Shuhei, her gaze was locked on the arrancar in front of her. The arrancar, though it could barely be called such, had a mostly humanoid shape, but was very tall and thin. It had pointed yellow teeth and licked them slowly as it watched Isane stand up. The arrancar appeared to be male, and also a little slow mentally. He had a pointed face and mousy brown hair with just a fraction of a mask covering the crown of his head.

When he spoke, his voice was high pitched and fast; containing a rodent-like quality. He eyed Isane as she took a wide battle stance, and very slightly tilted his head as a black-haired shinigami several yards away yelled at the female in front of him.

"Hehehehe, did I scramble your brains, pretty one?" he asked, tilting his head so that his all too human looking nose was scenting the air around him.

Isane glowered at the arrancar, but otherwise continued to watch him sharply, her fingers tightening on her zanpaktou. The arrancar bared his pointy teeth, but Isane was tired of the stand-off.

She feigned a frontal attack and as the arrancar shifted his stance to block her, she changed direction and flash stepped behind the creature. Isane dealt the arrancar a massive blow, but, to her surprise, he was still able to counter-attack. She barely parried the attack as she flung herself to the side, avoiding a simultaneous cero blast. Isane caught sight of Unohana-taicho as the dark-haired captain made her way through the battle-field.

Isane did not have time to see where her captain was going as her focus was drawn entirely back to the arrancar. As the arrancar moved to attack her again, Isane could hear her zanpakuto, Itegumo, nearly singing in her mind, asking to be released. With impressive speed for someone of her height and stature, Isane rolled to the side in order to avoid the arrancar's sweeping attack. As she came to a stop, crouching with one knee on the ground, Isane held her sword out at an angle and whispered, "Hashire, Itegumo!"

The result was instantaneous. Itegumo split into three separate blades stemming from its hilt, the blades humming ever so slightly. The arrancar seemed to have very sensitive ears, because as Itegumo hummed, vibrating evenly across all three blades, the arrancar became more agitated than ever.

Isane lunged at her opponent, trying to take advantage of the distraction her zanpaku-to was creating. As Itegumo drew nearer to the arrancar, the sword seemed to sense its presence. The arrancar screamed loudly, covering his ears to escape the vibrating hum that Itegumo was radiating through the air. In that instant, Isane switched Itegumo to her left hand, shifted her weight to her right, then spun to her left making a slashing motion with her zanpaku-to.

Itegumo's three blades whistled through the air, now separate from the hilt. In less than a second, the arrancar was torn to shreds by the unimaginably quick blades. With a low hum, and a well placed thought to Itegumo, the blades came back to the hilt. Someone who was not watching closely might have missed the entire thing.

Shuhei had finally managed to wade through the chaos surrounding them. He had gotten side-tracked once as one of his squad members had run at him screaming frantically for help for a fallen member of the squad. It felt as though he had been ripping a hole in his chest to turn away from Isane and help his subordinates, but he knew that they were his responsibility and he could not ignore that.

Still, Shuhei had a panicked look on his face as he approached Isane. She was sliding the deceptively normal Itegumo back into its sheath. The commotion was dying down as the last of the arrancar and hollow were killed, and the calm seemed bizarre. Shuhei's heart still beat frantically in his chest, and his adrenaline was still spiking, yet the scene around them was subdued and growing quiet.

"Isane?" he breathed, approaching her cautiously, knowing that she could still be in a fighter's mindset.

"Shuhei!" Isane gasped in relief. She had pushed the thoughts out of her mind that told her something terrible could have happened to him.

The relief flooded her head and suddenly she was very dizzy. She was damp with sweat. Her short hair clung to the back of her neck and her robes were very uncomfortably warm.

Hisagi could tell that she was not as uninjured as he had hoped as she took a faltering step towards him. He stepped to meet her and caught her in his arms as her body threatened to send her earthward.

"Isane, are you alright?" Shuhei asked, trying to keep his voice calm and fight down the lump of panic that was rising in his chest.

"I'm fine," Isane muttered. Her head had been bleeding freely since she had been smashed against the wall, and her words, like her body, were weak from loss of blood.

"We need to get you some help," Shuhei replied, his voice was calm, but the underlying panic threatened to break through any moment. "Help! Lieutenant Kotetsu, is injured!" he called to a group of shinigami from fourth squad who were huddled closely around what looked like two of the injured. Suddenly one of the shinigami looked up and Shuhei realized that it was Unohana-taicho.

Unohana shook her head very slightly in denial of Shuhei's request; her normally calm, infinite violet eyes were torn and desperate. His heart began to thud loudly in his ears as he noticed that one of the figures that they were crowded around was Hitsugaya-taicho. He began looking around frantically for someone else, anyone else who could help. Shuhei could feel Isane's warm blood trickling down her back as he held her close to him, trying to keep her from collapsing.

He let out a frustrated growl, his eyebrows snapping together as he realized that it would be awhile before anyone would be able to help them.

"I promise, I'm fine," Isane mumbled, clenching her fingers tightly in the sleeves of Shuhei's haori. "Head wounds just….bleed more…than others," she said, trying to keep her thoughts clear as the loss of blood muddled them.

Isane nuzzled lightly against Shuhei's neck, then lifted her head as well as should could, to speak in his ear.

"Shu-chan…?"

"Yes, Isane?" he responded, something painful tearing at his chest.

"My…ready pack…is over there. Lay me down…and…go look for…something t'stop bleed…ing," Isane struggled to get the words out as clearly as she could, even as unconsciousness threatened to claim her.

Leaving Isane for even a second was not something that Shuhei considered a plausible idea, but he knew that if they did not stop her bleeding soon... He refused to finish the thought. Gently, he placed Isane on the ground and swiftly kissed her hand before he flash-stepped in the direction that he thought Isane had indicated her pack was.

Hinamori felt like she had been charged by a very large animal, possibly a rhino. She whimpered as she tried to sit up. Even since her time at the academy, Hinamori's body _always_ let her know when she had over done things and this was no exception. Her mouth was dry and she found she couldn't speak; she wondered briefly how long she had been asleep.

Just then a short dark-haired man appeared at the door with a tray in hand.

"Hanatarou," Hinamori breathed, her voice scratchy and almost inaudible.

"Oh, Hinamori-fukataicho," he replied, rushing over to give her a cup of water from the tray.

Once she had gulped down more than half of the glass that Hanatarou had offered her, Hinamori cleared her throat experimentally then she cautiously sought out Hanatarou's gaze.

"Toushiro?" she whispered. Her chest was tight as everything that had happened before she had lost consciousness came back to her in a rush. She remembered all of the young captain's injuries and the vibrant burgundy of his blood on her pale hands and white yukata.

The fear coiled tighter in her heart as she waited, but soon began to loosen as Hanatarou smiled reassuringly at her.

"Unohana-taicho worked intently on him for what seemed like hours, but after that…Well, Hitsugaya-taicho is a very fast healer. Unohana-taicho sent him home to rest. Besides, we needed all the space we could get here for all of the injured."

Hinamori lowered her gaze to her hands folded neatly in her lap. She wondered just how many shinigami had been harmed in the surprise attack.

"Can I go see him?" she asked after a moment, silently pleading with Hanatarou.

He nodded.

"Unohana-taicho just wanted to keep an eye on you because…well, you weren't entirely well when you fought, but she said you could leave whenever you feel you're ready to leave."

"Thank you, Hana!" she smiled, gripping his hand briefly before climbing quickly out of bed and walking very sorely, but very rapidly out of the fourth squad hospital.

She was by no means strong enough to flash step, but she walked at a brisk pace. By the time she reached the gate that led to the tenth squad captain's home, her heart was pounding, not just from the walk.

Hitsugaya's home was situated inside the seireitei, near the tenth squad compound, but as a captain his home was separated from the barracks where the rest of the shinigami in tenth squad lived. Hinamori had been there a few times before. It was spacious, had a gorgeous garden, and was very clean. When she reached the front door, Hinamori knocked lightly, her heart pounding heavily now.

"Come in," Hitsugaya's voice issued from inside the house.

"Shitsureshimasu," Hinamori muttered as she opened the door and stepped inside.

For some reason she was suddenly very self conscious. She was still only wearing the plain white yukata that she had woken up in at the fourth squad compound. She also realized, rather belatedly, that she was not even wearing shoes. 'What a picture I must make,' she thought to herself, blushing.

"Hina…mori…?" Hitsugaya breathed, his perfect aquamarine eyes a little wider than usual. He was kneeling at a small writing table in the middle of the main room, apparently back to work already. He dropped the brush he was writing with and jumped to his feet, his expression flitting through half a dozen emotions in rapid succession.

The unexpected movement made Hinamori jump and flinch instinctively, but she immediately felt foolish and her blush climbed a little higher up her cheeks. Her reaction seemed to trigger something in Hitsugaya and he suddenly froze, his face changing to that of polite welcome.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he explained, his voice easy and friendly, the same as it nearly always ways around her. Yet, Hinamori could suddenly sense something wrong in the so familiar voice.

"No…its fine," she stammered, caught off guard by her new realization about her bestfriend's voice.

"Are you alright?" Hitsugaya asked cautiously and politely, too politely.

"Yes, I'm fine," Hinamori answered pondering the newly recognized tone in his voice. Then she realized what it was. The tone in his voice was caution, polite distance. She had used that tone a life time ago with a boy at the shinigami academy. She had been keeping her distance because she did not want to get hurt.

It took Hinamori a minute to understand why she would be hearing the same note in Hitsugaya's voice. She had known for awhile now, known deep in her heart if not always consciously, that she loved him and now…she wondered if he might actually love her too.

The idea that he might see her as anything more than a best friend seemed ludicrous to Hinamori as she stood there awkwardly, trying to remember why she had come.

This was torture, absolute torture. He was sure that he had actually died (well…died again) in his battle several days ago and that he was actually in hell now. Hinamori was safe and alive and standing in his house, her hair was down around her shoulders and slightly windblown, and the plain yukata that she was wearing draped perfectly over all the right places.

Yet, he had never felt further from her emotionally. Aizen stole a large piece of her and had carried it off with him to Hueco Mundo, now Hinamori stood before him betrayed, broken, and damaged. She was sickly thin and the light that used to sparkle in her eyes when she laughed had been absent for so long. Hitsugaya wanted so badly to tell Hinamori how he felt, to make everything besides the two of them disappear, but he could not. He wondered if he would ever now if she felt anything more for him than just friendship.


	7. Awakening

**A/N: Lol, so, I realized belatedly that the last chapter had no authors note. Honestly it probably could have used one. I needed to remind everyone to REVIEW! Lol, I LOVE hearing your thoughts and opinions of the story, so please please review. Oh, and I will try VERY hard to get the next chapter out this week! If I succeed, I expect to receive congratulatory reviews and cookies lol.**

Hinamori watched as Hitsugaya crossed the main room, walking toward her cautiously, as though he thought she might run at the slightest misstep on his part. Her heart was pounding already, but as Hitsugaya got closer it seemed to be trying to leap right out of her chest. As the young captain drew even with her, she again noticed his height. He was now at least two inches taller than her, and it looked as though he had just begun a true growth spurt.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hitsugaya asked, reaching for her elbow to help stabilize her.

Hinamori had not even realized that she was shaking. Her body was utterly exhausted and she knew then that going to Toushiro's house had been a mistake. His hand was cool on the feverish skin of her elbow, yet somehow his touch still made her arm tingle pleasantly.

"I'm…," Hinamori had been about to reply indignantly that she was just fine, however the room quite suddenly began to tilt sickeningly. She had a brief sensation of falling, but then she felt surprisingly strong arms around her. They were like steel wires as they caught and held her. Hinamori's vision swam a little as she was guided to the large futon in the next room and gently deposited there.

"You're burning up!" Hitsugaya growled, displeased with the whole situation. "What were you thinking coming here like this?"

Hinamori thought fleetingly about telling Toushiro angrily that she had just come to make sure that he had not gotten himself into too much trouble, but then she realized that things were not the way that they used to be. She was the one who was always getting into trouble now. As a matter of fact, she did not think that Toushiro had caused any trouble at all since before she had gone to the academy.

"I…just…I…wanted to make sure…that you were okay," she answered through teeth that were now chattering.

"_You_ were making sure that _I_ was okay?" Hitsugaya snorted.

He walked over to a closet and got several blankets out.

"What are you doing?" she wondered out loud.

"Well, I can't let you leave! Not in this condition. You have a fever and you can barely stand on your own," he replied, calmly putting the blankets over her.

She struggled to sit up, but Hitsugaya gently yet firmly pushed her back down onto the futon. Her head ached terribly and everything looked blurry through the haze of her fever.

"I honestly don't understand you sometimes, Momo. Especially with what happened two days ago. You need to take better care of yourself! You just woke up from a comma for god's sake!" he scolded, but his voice held no real anger. "What if you hadn't…woken up?" His voice was strained and shook with the effort of keeping it even.

"I'm…sorry," Hinamori murmured weakly, and to her surprise this was the first time that she had not felt guilty about surviving her whole ordeal. The idea that if she had died, Toushiro would have been sad completely erased the guilt. Now she felt ashamed for not being more grateful to everyone who had had a hand in saving her. But, she reasoned, she had time to make that up to them now.

"I just…" she began, trying to explain to the gorgeous young man that was now watching her intently, a little of what she had been feeling before she had stormed off to battle.

"I didn't want to let…anyone down…anymore. Especially you,…Shiro-chan."

And then Hinamori drifted into a fevered nightmare, filled with guilt and lonliness. Her last conscious memory was of Hitsugaya's upset voice coming from much too far away.

"Unohana-taicho! Yes, yes, I'm fine. No, I'm contacting you because Momo is here and she has a fever, a really bad one by the looks of it. What should I do?" His voice came out a bit more childish and frightened than he would have liked, but he nodded and tried to control his panicked breathing as he listened intently to Unohana's response.

"And Hitsugaya-taicho," Unohana added as they were about the release their hell butterflies a few minutes later.

"Hai?"

"Talk to her when she wakes up. She really is very lonely and could use a friendly voice," she replied leaving the young captain pondering events that had transpired.

He sighed and massaged his shoulder lightly as he went to get a glass of water and a cold cloth. His perfect white eyebrows came together in a wince as a sharp pain flared in his right shoulder, but it was nothing compared to the awful pain he had been in when the arrancar had wrenched his shoulder from its socket.

A few minutes later, Hitsugaya was kneeling beside his futon, where Hinamori was twitching and muttering frightened screams, obviously trapped in a nightmare.

"Shh," the young man whispered, placing the cool compress on her forehead. "You're okay. You're safe here."

He brushed a few strands of Hinamori's damp hair out of her face as he whispered a few more calm and affectionate reassurances to her. Her nightmare seemed to pass then, and she stopped moving so much; her face looking much more peaceful.

"I love you," Toushiro whispered. "I think I always have."

Kotetsu Isane was experiencing, hands down, the worst headache of her life. She looked around at the familiar surroundings of her lieutenant's quarters, quickly registering what had happened and how she had ended up in bed.

_"Isane? Isane, please." Shuhei whispered as he flashstepped back to the tall woman, lying in a pool of her own blood. He had her ready-pack in his hands, but he was no healer, he did not know what to do for her and his eyes showed his panic._

_"It's okay, Shuhei…I'm…okay, just really tired," Isane responded, trying to comfort her lover. She was trying to remain calm for his sake, but she knew what would happen if they didn't stop the bleeding in her head soon._

_"Just hang in there, okay?" Shuhei said, kneeling next to her and taking her hand. "What do you need me to do?"_

_"First, you're going to need to find...either one of the rags in there, or a roll of bandages," Isane breathed, trying to fight through the overwhelming tiredness that was sweeping through her._

_"There's a rag."_

_"Good, now, reach under my head, and put the rag against the wound."_

_"Okay," Shuhei replied, his voice a little weaker than usual. He had never had to take care of an injured person before. "What now?"_

_"Now, press against the wound very hard, Shuhei. You have to stop the bleeding."_

_Shuhei held Isane still as he applied firm pressure to the wound on the back of her head and a small scream ghosted through her pale parted lips._

That was all that she remembered. She knew that she must have blacked out then, but assumed that the technique had worked long enough for a healer to get to her. Isane groaned loudly as she sat up.

"Oh! Onee-san!"

Isane recognized Kiyone's voice just seconds before the smaller girl was wrapping her arms around Isane in a grateful hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright, Onee-san! Shuhei and I were so worried! He's been here the whole time. I just made him go get something to eat," her face shifted to a grimace.

"He's going to be so mad at me. He wanted to be here when you woke up…" Kiyone's voice faded as she contemplated the horrors of Shuhei returning to find that Isane was already awake.

Isane smiled warmly at her sister and began trying to assure the younger girl that Lieutenant Hisagi would not get mad at her. However, just then, Shuhei came into the room carrying a tray of food. Isane saw his hands twitch as he realized that she was awake as she was surprised when, instead of dropping the tray, Shuhei set it down and then calmly regarded Isane with an unreadable expression.

Kiyone smiled, but quickly excused herself saying something about the delicious fish paste that she had found at a store nearby and perhaps going to go buy some more. Shuhei continued to watch Isane, his face blank. Then suddenly…

"Goddammit, Isane! You scared the hell out of me!" He exclaimed, crossing the room to stand in front of Isane who was still sitting on her bed.

She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought about him insinuating that anything that had happened was her fault, but she did not get the chance. Shuhei's surprisingly soft lips were crushing against hers with a force that elicited a gasp from her slightly parted lips. His breath played across her cheeks and through her parted lips. Isane's head began to swim, and it had nothing to do with her recent head injury.

Shuhei sank to his knees on the floor beside her bed. She had to tilt her face downward some to maintain contact with his lips, but his hands were so warm as they moved over her side, back, and neck that she barely noticed. She whimpered and curled her fingers in his short, dark hair; holding him to her, as the intensity of his kiss made her dizzy.

It was so good to have her alive and safe in his arms.

She was dreaming. Hinamori knew that she was dreaming, but she could do nothing to wake herself, nor did she want to. She was walking down a narrow walkway that she knew all too well. At the end of the walkway there would be a sliding door, she knew without a doubt. She had walked this path many times. Sure enough, her feet carried her to the end of the walkway and to the sliding door. The door opened and she stepped inside. Hinamori screamed at herself to turn around, to stay away from this place, but the dream continued.

Aizen was seated in his main room at a small writing table. Hinamori knew that she was reliving the last night that she had spent with the captain she had trusted so much. Yet, far from the emotions of trust and security that she had felt at the time, now all she could feel was burning hatred and the sting of betrayal.

Everything he had ever told her was a lie, and for the first time she felt properly angry with him. No, not angry, furious. Hinamori tried to move toward Aizen in her dream, tried to draw Tobiume from her sheath at her side, but the dream continued to keep her trapped and immobile as it played out her memory of that night.

Then she watched in wonder as the dream shifted and changed. Hinamori was still unable to move, but now she looked upon a different scene. This was also something she remembered well. She and Toushiro were sitting on the top of a hill near the house they lived in with their grandmotherly guardian, eating a watermelon. Only, Toushiro's face looked different somehow. Then she realized that the strange look she had sometimes caught him giving her was…was…

The dream shifted again. Hinamori's vision focused immediately on two figures in the distance. It was Aizen and Toushiro. They were locked in combat. Horror welled up in Hinamori's chest as she watched them.

"Run! Don't! Don't fight him!! Please!" she yelled out desperately. She knew that Aizen was too strong for Toushiro alone. Toushiro was just too young, and so was she. But suddenly she realized that she could move. Momo began running as quickly as she could, but it felt like she was trying to run through waist-deep mud.

"RUN!!" But as she cried out this time, Toushiro turned his head to meet her gaze. He seemed frozen in place by the strength and conviction behind her desperate cry.

To Momo's horror, Aizen grabbed the front of Toushiro's yukata, and then his sword was extending clean through the thin, lithe captain. There was nothing she could do. Time stopped.

Suddenly, she knew that this would be how it would end. Hitsugaya was more concerned with her than with his own life, and if he thought for a moment that she did not want Aizen to die then he would not even try to kill the former captain.

In the instant before Momo shook herself awake, she felt a sense of peace fill her as she made her decision. She would forget the lies that Aizen had told her, because she knew that the Aizen she had cared about was only lies. The Aizen she had adored was nothing but an overwhelming deception. Momo knew, deep in her heart, that she had to pick who she was going to be loyal to. It would either have to be Aizen, the one who had betrayed her and tried to kill her; or Hitsugaya, the person who had always been there for her, _always_.

That thought stayed with Hinamori as she opened her eyes and gazed bleary-eyed at her surroundings. She was having trouble remembering where she was, or what she had been doing before she was dreaming. The late afternoon sun shone through the window and cast long shadows in the room that she had been sleeping in.

Momo sat up slowly and tried to take stock of her surroundings. The room was a good size with light gray walls and two sliding doors. One presumably led to the rest of the house and the other, Momo surmised by the view from the windows, led outside. The outside door was closed, because of the onset of the autumn chill, and, by the same token, the door to the rest of the home was cracked slightly to allow for warm air to circulate into the room.

She groaned quietly as she stood up and stretched. Something was different, she could feel it. Something was different about her, and for the first time in almost a year, Momo felt whole again, like herself again.

When she opened the sliding door to the rest of the house, she was only mildly surprised to see that Toushiro was not there. He was very busy cleaning up the mess the arrancar had made after all, but he had not left her alone. A shiny mane of red hair could just be seen over the arm of the couch. Momo smiled, she had always admired Matsumoto's energy and outgoing personality.

Matsumoto apparently was not as asleep as she first appeared to be though, because as Momo opened the sliding door and took a few steps into the living room, Matsumoto jumped off the couch and nearly skipped over to meet her.

"Good afternoon, Hinamori-san!" Matsumoto chimed, grabbing both of Momo's hands and lightly swinging them from side-to-side. "Its good to see you awake! Hitsugaya-taicho asked me to make sure you were okay while he worked today. Are you alright? Are you hungry? You look thin."

"Thank you, Matsumoto-san. Its good to be awake," Momo replied, knowing that the words held a double meaning. "I am pretty hungry actually."

"Oh, good. I'll make you some dinner! People have been bringing food over randomly for the last few days (since Taicho got hurt). I suppose they think he can't feed himself with a hurt shoulder, but that's okay. That means that there should be something around that I can heat up for you. I'm not a very good cook. Why don't you go take a bath while I get something ready?"

"Alright, that sounds good," Momo said softly, actually smiling now as she watched the red-head bubbling with energy.

"Oh, and Taicho said that he brought over a couple of your yukatas for you, in case you woke up and needed to change."

So with a few more thank-yous, Momo made her way to the bathroom. Less than an hour later, she emerged with her hair damp and dressed in one of her favorite yukatas. She had smiled to herself when she had seen it folded there, next to a towel. Of course he had picked her favorite. It had a light lavender background with a pattern of medium-sized, white flowers flowing gracefully over the fabric. It also tied with a dark purple and tan obi. It felt indescribably good to be clean and dressed in her own clothing once more.

When Momo walked back into the kitchen, she was surprised to see that Matsumoto had left and instead of the bubbly, talkative redhead; she was locking eyes with the tall (was she just imagining things or was he even taller now?), white-haired, teal-eyed captain.

**Another A/N: Remember, Review please!!**


	8. Healing

**A/N: Hello there! I know its been FOREVER since I've updated, and I'm truly sorry, especially since this chapter has been sitting on my hard drive pretty much complete for almost two months now. Again sorry. Good news though! I am now in Japan! I will be studying here until the beginning of January. I'm very excited and I'm sure I'll have a great time. Plus, the way they schedule classes here, I'm bound to have some free time where I'll get bored and start writing. So, yeah, please enjoy this very belated chapter. Tell me what you think Review!**

For a moment Momo had trouble breathing. The force of Toushiro's gaze was alarming, breathtaking, and unsettling all at once.

"Momo," he breathed crossing the room and catching her by surprise as he wrapped his lithe, muscular arms around her. "Thank God you're alright. You look better too. You really scared me…"

He trailed off and let the sentence go unfinished, still unsure of expressing the extent of his feelings for the dark-haired girl. Hinamori smiled a little to herself as Toushiro hugged her, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. The young captain smelled like a wonderful mixture of soap, evergreen trees, and a slightly musky scent that Momo couldn't quite identify.

"I'm sorry," Momo said quietly as Toushiro released her and took a step back. The words, though difficult to work up the courage to say, seemed to open a flood gate of apologies once they were actually spoken. "I'm sorry….sorry that I didn't trust you. I'm sorry that I let myself be so blinded by admiration and…"

By now Hinamori could feel hot tears coursing down her cheeks. It had been so long since she and Toushiro had actually had a conversation and suddenly that hurt more than anything. It hurt that she had let their friendship slide and had focused so much on being useful and good and important to Aizen. She had only just begun to apologize.

"I'm sorry that we never talk the way we used to, and that we never spend time together anymore. We used to see each other every day, sometimes several times a day, but not anymore. I let that happen. You're my best friend and…and I…"

But she did not get a chance to finish. Hitsugaya had heard enough and placed his index finger gently against her lips. He wiped some of the wetness from her cheek and looked at her for a very long moment; seemingly looking for something. Momo's heart suddenly began pounding against her ribcage, she was having trouble breathing, and she wondered what was wrong with her. Toushiro's hand on her face was at once comforting and familiar, yet unsettling and entirely new.

"I'm sorry that we've grown apart as friends too," he said, his words slow and measured as though he were searching for the right words and also watching her response. "But…I don't want that anymore."

Momo's breath caught in her chest at his words and time stopped. She didn't think she could go on living if she didn't have Toushiro.

"I…I don't understand," he voice was cut off as a choking sensation welled up in her throat. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew that Toushiro would be better off not being her friend and the truth of that cut her like a knife. The scar on her chest where her breast bone ended and her ribcage came together flared painfully and it felt like she was being impaled again. Though, this time, it was only the force of Toushiro's words.

A flash of uncertainty flared across the young man's gorgeous, but tired face. Then he seemed to make a very significant decision.

"I don't want that anymore," Toushiro repeated; his voice low and steady, taking a step forward and cupping Momo's cheek in his cool hand.

Tears brimmed in her chocolate brown eyes and she wasn't sure what to think, say, or do, but something in his cool touch kept her rooted to the floor. He leaned forward and down slightly to whisper in her ear.

"I want _more_. I love you, Momo."

At first she was shocked, but the pain in her chest had immediately been replaced by a strange new feeling. A sense of fullness began to spread through her, and she felt whole and strong. She felt like she could fly.

As he said the words, Toushiro leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Momo's. Chocolate and turquoise, mere millimeters apart, regarded each other for a long moment. His breath smelled like winter as it fluttered lightly over her lips. This was her best friend, the person to whom she had told everything as a child and he was _very_ close, but suddenly it wasn't enough. She wanted to be closer. Her heart was surely about to explode and in the few long seconds that they stood there, foreheads pressed together, something inside Momo clicked and she wondered how she had never realized before how much she loved him and that they were meant to be together.

Hitsugaya Toushiro was sure that he would die standing there, waiting for her response. His entire body ached with a desire and longing to be near her that he had not known he possessed. He could almost taste her. She was panting lightly and her breath danced past his slightly parted lips and across his tongue. In truth, the moment lasted no longer than ten seconds, but to the two individuals sharing in it, time had stopped.

Her voice was little more than a whisper when it finally broke the static filled silence.

"I…love you too, Shiro-chan. _So_ much."

Toushiro's heart jumped into his throat at her words and he felt as though he might melt. He smiled broadly and took Momo's face in his hands before leaning in to capture her soft lips in a slow sweet kiss. Lips parted slightly and he immediately deepened the kiss, desperate to have more of her. Circling one arm around her waist, Toushiro pulled Momo's body against his, while he cupped the base of her skull in his other hand.

She was making the most wonderful little moaning noises into his mouth and they were driving him crazy. Her right hand was balled into a small fist in the left shoulder of his yukata and her left hand had found its way to his neck where her fingers were dragging through the hair at the nape. Neither of them thought about anything but what was happening that moment. They had crossed a very important line, the line between friendship and something more, but they were not concerned at the moment. They were both so sure of the other that there was no reason to think about the friendship that they were losing for, in truth, they were gaining so much more.

After a couple of heavenly minutes, Toushiro broke the kiss and took half a step back, but he did not release his hold on her waist. They were both breathing heavily, but Momo more so and she was feeling rather dizzy and unsteady on her feet. She hardly noticed though because she was flooded with joy, passion, love, and something that was causing a pleasantly tingling heat to spread through her abdomen.

"You're still a little…ha…weak," Toushiro murmured through his light panting. "You should eat something."

"All I want right now…is you," Momo breathed, surprising herself a bit with her forwardness, but she felt like her heart might burst any second if Toushiro didn't keep kissing her.

Toushiro's teal eyes widened a bit as Momo's words sent a chill down his spine, but he would not be dissuaded. Even in light of everything that had happened in the last ten minutes, his first priority had been and would always be Momo's well-being.

"You need to eat. You won't regain your strength and your reiatsu won't return either if you don't eat."

Momo knew that it was pointless to argue and since Toushiro was keeping a firm grip on her hand as he led her to the kitchen, she wasn't inclined to resist.

As Toushiro put some food on two plates then moved over to the table, all without loosening his grip on her hand, Momo noticed for the first time since…well, since she had woken up in the fourth squad's station almost two weeks ago, that she felt hungry. Ravenous, really.

They ate in comfortable silence with only a little bit of difficulty stemming from the fact that they refused to relinquish their hold on each other's hands. For the most part they were lost in their own private musings about how their relationship had just changed and what that meant for them in the future. They both also had their own fears about the future.

Momo was concerned with getting back to her former strength and proving that she deserved to stay lieutenant of her squad; and deserved to have Toushiro's love. Toushiro was planning ways to keep Momo safe when Aizen inevitably returned, and ways to stay alive himself, because he knew that it would be a fierce and deadly war.

When Momo began to nod off over what was left of her rice, Toushiro decided that it would be best for them both to get some sleep. It had been an eventful evening and even though it was only about seven o'clock, he figured they could both really use the extra rest.

The final tendrils of pink were fading from the sky as Toushiro scooped the already sleeping Momo into his arms and made his way through the living room and into his bedroom. He cringed a little at the pain that flared in his shoulder, but worked to put it out of his mind. There were so many more pleasant things for him to think about now. Like the soft warmth of Momo's mouth, or the slightly sweet smell that emanated from her quickly drying hair.

The night was getting darker and promised to be much cooler than the previous night. Normally Toushiro would have left the sliding door in his room, which opened onto a small garden/courtyard outside, open and let the cold air cover him like a familiar blanket. Tonight, however, he opted for leaving the door tightly closed and, after depositing Momo on his large futon, he brought two thick blankets out of the closet to drape over the futon.

Momo shifted and mumbled incoherently in her sleep, but her face held a soft smile. Toushiro, not bothering to change out of his shinigami clothes, simply took off his captain's robe and folded it neatly before crawling onto the futon. He tucked the edges of the blankets around the futon, making sure that they would stay in place and keep Momo warm. Then, yawning hugely, Toushiro settled himself in bed. Momo unconsciously rolled over to face him.

Her long dark eyelashes lay gracefully over her pale cheeks and her breathing was deep and even. Toushiro put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, holding her to his chest. She instinctively nuzzled into the crook of his neck and grabbed fistfuls of his hakama. Soon both the youngest captain in soul society and the greatly injured, but somehow miraculously recovering lieutenant, were fast asleep.

**A/N: PS Review! Lol.**


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